OT: Suggestions, pros/cons for driving in Europe.

[LionJim]

My wife and I are to Germany in late summer. She was a hs exchange student in Essen as a senior so we have many friends we are anxious to visit. One of the friends is in central Germany, the Gottingen area, ballpark. And then to Berlin, from there we’d take the trains to Munich and Freiburg, going from 2:00 to 5:30 to 7:30 if you get my drift. We have an affinity for Freiburg and will linger there.

I’ll say up front that renting a car is something we’d normally avoid. But it seems likely that the best way to navigate Essen Gottingen Berlin is by car. Thoughts?

I know there’s a dedicated travel thread but here goes.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to love and adventure!

 

[Tom_PSU]

Make sure that you send us a video of you wearing Lederhosen, while drinking a huge stein of beer and singing the Horst Wessel song with your friends.

 

[Midnighter]

My wife and I are to Germany in late summer. She was a hs exchange student in Essen as a senior so we have many friends we are anxious to visit. One of the friends is in central Germany, the Gottingen area, ballpark. And then to Berlin, from there we’d take the trains to Munich and Freiburg, going from 2:00 to 5:30 to 7:30 if you get my drift. We have an affinity for Freiburg and will linger there.

I’ll say up front that renting a car is something we’d normally avoid. But it seems likely that the best way to navigate Essen Gottingen Berlin is by car. Thoughts?

I know there’s a dedicated travel thread but here goes.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to love and adventure!

Do it. One of the great driving pleasures in the world is the German autobahn; so straight, intuitive, and well maintained. You won’t have any issues with signs or laws - it’s mostly the same as the U.S. in terms of shapes and meaning (maybe learn the word ‘stau’ - means traffic congestion). I will say when you come to a four way stop at the same time as others, always defer to the driver on your right. And don’t let the high speeds intimidate you - there are speed limits and if you’re nervous stay right. If you see a Bimmer flashing his lights behind you it means ‘move!’.

That said, the strassenbahn (street cars), traditional trains, and taxis are all top notch and equally viable. But, I’d take the car for maximum comfort/flexibility. Let me know if you have any other questions about driving or Germany in general - lived in Heidelberg and Mannheim for four years….

Prost!

 

[Bones80]

My wife and I are to Germany in late summer. She was a hs exchange student in Essen as a senior so we have many friends we are anxious to visit. One of the friends is in central Germany, the Gottingen area, ballpark. And then to Berlin, from there we’d take the trains to Munich and Freiburg, going from 2:00 to 5:30 to 7:30 if you get my drift. We have an affinity for Freiburg and will linger there.

I’ll say up front that renting a car is something we’d normally avoid. But it seems likely that the best way to navigate Essen Gottingen Berlin is by car. Thoughts?

I know there’s a dedicated travel thread but here goes.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to love and adventure!

Regarding car rental in Europe, car rental insurance is no longer covered by most if not all US insurance companies and no longer covered by most if not all credit card companies. I learned this just this past summer when I rented a car in Ireland. Needing some form of coverage in case there was an accident, I had to purchase insurance through the rental company. Be careful, some of their insurance policies are as expensive as the car rental which are quite a bit more expensive than in the past. Strongly recommended you check with your insurance agent and credit card company before you decide to rent.

 

[LionJim]

Make sure that you send us a video of you wearing Lederhosen, while drinking a huge stein of beer and singing the Horst Wessel song with your friends.

I don’t sing. But I do try to make up for this lack with my dancing.

 

[OuiRPSU]

Do it. One of the great driving pleasures in the world is the German autobahn; so straight, intuitive, and well maintained. You won’t have any issues with signs or laws - it’s mostly the same as the U.S. in terms of shapes and meaning (maybe learn the word ‘stau’ - means traffic congestion). I will say when you come to a four way stop at the same time as others, always defer to the driver on your right. And don’t let the high speeds intimidate you - there are speed limits and if you’re nervous stay right. If you see a Bimmer flashing his lights behind you it means ‘move!’.

That said, the strassenbahn (street cars), traditional trains, and taxis are all top notch and equally viable. But, I’d take the car for maximum comfort/flexibility. Let me know if you have any other questions about driving or Germany in general - lived in Heidelberg and Mannheim for four years….

Prost!

That’s exactly what all the servers at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich look like!

Said nobody ever

 

[Midnighter]

That’s exactly what all the servers at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich look like!

Said nobody ever

Yeah, best to go to one of the tents during Oktoberfest; way more talent on hand…

 

[Obliviax]

no problem. three things:

• make sure your insurance will cover you while there
• make sure Germany recognizes a US driver's license
• make sure your GPS, on your phone, works while there. This means your cellular provider and phone will work there.

 

[Catch1lion]

It should be a blast. On a tangential note, this is a funny car rental situation.
Max Verstappen Is Still Too Young to Rent a Sports Car (roadandtrack.com)

 

[Obliviax]

no problem. three things:

• make sure your insurance will cover you while there
• make sure Germany recognizes a US driver's license
• make sure your GPS, on your phone, works while there. This means your cellular provider and phone will work there.

My brother and I drove to Mount St. Michael and Normandy from Paris and back when we went to the PSU game in Dublin. We had no problem. I'll add two things: first, take care of road names as it is hard to know to turn on wronglsarudlakia road. Second, sometimes major roads look tiny in villages look tiny because the road was built when there were only horses to deal with. You get a few kilometers outside and it turns into a larger two lane highway.

 

[rudedude]

If you run into Harry Kane, kick him
In the nuts for me, thanks!

 

[ClarkstonMark]

Driving in Germany is easy.
not much different then here in the US.
One tip … always know which city or village is the next one you’ll be going past as many of the road/exit/roundabout signs will show the next 1,2,or3 cities/villages and not the road name/number. That said …. Apple Maps works great

 

[leinbacker]

Make sure that you send us a video of you wearing Lederhosen, while drinking a huge stein of beer and singing the Horst Wessel song with your friends.

 

[nittanymoops]

Drove all thru Western Europe in 2018, and then in Central Europe (Berlin-Dresden-Krakow-Oswiecim-Czechia-Vienna-Salzburg-Eagles Nest-Munich-Neuschwanstein-Zugspitze) in September-October 2023. No issues in Germany at all. Enjoy the autobahns and top speeds if that is your thing.

I will note that the pros are quite simply your freedom to see and do things at your own pace, and see things that are off the beaten path, and stay at places convenient to your specific needs. The cons are navigation, but if you have a good sense of direction and good GPS, you will be fine. Sometimes parking is difficult, and we did get parking tickets in Dresden and Vienna from our October trip. Also, I have yet to see a gas station with a pay at the pump feature while in Europe. You have to pump, then pay, at least in my experience. As others have said, confirm your insurance thru your insurer or credit card provider.

Enjoy your trip, and don't forget your metrics!

 

[STPGopherfan]

My wife and I are to Germany in late summer. She was a hs exchange student in Essen as a senior so we have many friends we are anxious to visit. One of the friends is in central Germany, the Gottingen area, ballpark. And then to Berlin, from there we’d take the trains to Munich and Freiburg, going from 2:00 to 5:30 to 7:30 if you get my drift. We have an affinity for Freiburg and will linger there.

I’ll say up front that renting a car is something we’d normally avoid. But it seems likely that the best way to navigate Essen Gottingen Berlin is by car. Thoughts?

I know there’s a dedicated travel thread but here goes.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to love and adventure!

Did it in 98', so take this for what it's worth. The biggest benefit is freedom of travel. Especially in smaller towns. You will want to linger in some of the towns to get a true feel for the area. This will also give you the opportunity to explore Zimmerfreis (Room Free) and pensions (pen-C-owns). This form of lodging an be cheaper , and again I though we got a better feel for the areas we visited/ stayed. Usually they included an essenzimmer/ free breakfast. Some encouraged you to load up and sometimes even take stuff with you. Helpful if trying not to stop just for lunch. Not sure how much the likes of Air-bnb have impacted that type of lodging.

Not sure about the current terms of renting cars. Looks like others have touched on that. Regarding driving, relatively easy. As other(s) suggested, stay to the right on the autobaun till you get the hang of driving in Germany. Note: Autobaun in early spring might be a bit of a let down due to road repair/ construction.

 

[IrishHerb]

From what others in this thread have said, driving in Germany shouldn't be hard (it wasn't in Hungary). Very unlike driving in Ireland where (1) they drive on the wrong side of the road, (2) signs are in both English and Gaelic which make reading them a bit difficult, and (3) the roads are quite narrow and twisty.

 

[IrishHerb]

From what others in this thread have said, driving in Germany shouldn't be hard (it wasn't in Hungary). Very unlike driving in Ireland where (1) they drive on the wrong side of the road, (2) signs are in both English and Gaelic which make reading them a bit difficult, and (3) the roads are quite narrow and twisty.

When whizzing by at 55 mph in Ireland, this is very difficult to read. Don't think you'll see much like this in Deutschland.

 

[Midnighter]

When whizzing by at 55 mph in Ireland, this is very difficult to read. Don't think you'll see much like this in Deutschland.

Yikes! Likely taking our first trip to Ireland in 2025; haven’t driven on the ‘wrong side of the road’ since I learned on an RX-7 in Japan 33 years ago…

 

[OuiRPSU]

Yeah, best to go to one of the tents during Oktoberfest; way more talent on hand…

I was in Munich in the summer, so…

 

[BVSt.Paul]

Driving in Greece around 93. Trying to find our hotel in Chania, Crete, after dark, and my newly farsighted wife with the map was the navigator. I said can you help me out here a little. Her response was pretty much, “It’s all in f’in Greek!” Amazingly, we were on the right street and found the hotel. I think we’d still be driving if the gods hadn’t stepped in and escorted us…. My simple advice after a few European trips is to rent an automatic, get a good map and make sure your navigator knows how to read the map.

 

[Nitt1300]

why a car?

 

[LionJim]

why a car?

Lol, I’ll mention this to the missus. I should mention that she hates riding in cars, the least trustful passenger ever. This might have something to do with the fact that I often lose myself in mathematical problems, including when I should instead be paying attention to the road. It’s a thing among us math folk, apparently:

R H Bing as a car driver

R H Bing as a car driver

mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk

 

[LionJim]

By the way, here’s a handy-dandy travel website, incredibly convenient. Try it out and you’ll see what I mean.

https://www.rome2rio.com/

 

[s1uggo72]

did anyone mention be sure to have proper insurance in place. Its best to read the policies.

 

[nittanyfan333]

Do it. If you have an iphone, get the maps.me app. you can download the maps for use without any access to data. navigation is done through GPS (not data). Driving in Germany is a breeze, just play it safe and stay in the right lane on the autobahn (unless you're feeling frisky). It's super intuitive.

 

[nittanyfan333]

Yikes! Likely taking our first trip to Ireland in 2025; haven’t driven on the ‘wrong side of the road’ since I learned on an RX-7 in Japan 33 years ago…

Oh buddy.... let me tell you. Wife and I went to Dingle a few years ago. Drove from Dublin, to the Cliffs of Moher, then down to Dingle and back to Dublin. man.... the stone walls that line the country roads while driving stick on the wrong side of the road and passing vehicles are flying by..... i've driven in Jordan and the small towns of Southern Spain and driving in Ireland was more taxing mentally. not as aggressive as the middle east or tight as the southern spain towns, but all the little things involved in driving there make it rough.

 

[Midnighter]

Oh buddy.... let me tell you. Wife and I went to Dingle a few years ago. Drove from Dublin, to the Cliffs of Moher, then down to Dingle and back to Dublin. man.... the stone walls that line the country roads while driving stick on the wrong side of the road and passing vehicles are flying by..... i've driven in Jordan and the small towns of Southern Spain and driving in Ireland was more taxing mentally. not as aggressive as the middle east or tight as the southern spain towns, but all the little things involved in driving there make it rough.

I learned in Japan, so some experience on the other side of the road. Driving in downtown Paris and Florence were the toughest experiences for me though; Paris is bonkers and Florence is full of scooters…

 

[nittanyfan333]

I learned in Japan, so some experience on the other side of the road. Driving in downtown Paris and Florence were the toughest experiences for me though; Paris is bonkers and Florence is full of scooters…

Yeah we didnt' rent a car in Paris, and I was so glad we didnt. BA-NANAS. plus if you're staying in the city public transit is so easy. Even getting to Versailles wasn't hard. it's those trips we go all over the country that get hard...

 

[kgilbert78]

Don't rent a car when you will be in big cities. Many have travel restrictions--in Germany you have to have a green air quality sticker to drive into the city centers. There are more chances of traffic issues during August, as that's when everyone goes on vacation. That includes trains. That said, this was me heading from the Essen and then the Duesseldorf area down to Moenchengladbach for a game in June. You can do ok in the Essen area without a car--lots of transit and cities are close together in the Ruhr. I was on the PSU-Cologne exchange program in 1978, and have been back a few times.

 

[TheBigUglies]

I have only rented cars and drove in England, Scotland, and Ireland. Last trip to Ireland we hired a custom tour guide(there were 12 of us) and it made for a much more relaxing vacation. Went to Italy a couple years ago on a group tour. Let me tell you something, not having to drive makes for a way more relaxing vacation. Maybe it is due to my old age and having driven on many a vacation but hiring tour guides/drivers you see way more and experience way more and discover things you may have not known to look for or stop at. I would never want to even attempt driving in Italy, especially the cities. Another poster made a comment about the roads in Ireland with hedges and stone walls right at the edge of the roads and yes if you suck at driving or are tentative you will scratch the side of the rental car in Ireland. Scotland wasn't as bad but when you get out into the highlands the roads are only 1 big enough for 1 vehicle and you have to pull into a layby if a vehicle is coming the other way. My 2 cents from my middle age bougie perspective.

 

[Midnighter]

Yeah we didnt' rent a car in Paris, and I was so glad we didnt. BA-NANAS. plus if you're staying in the city public transit is so easy. Even getting to Versailles wasn't hard. it's those trips we go all over the country that get hard...

I drove from Heidelberg, GE to Paris for some reason. Won’t do it again.

 

[STPGopherfan]

My wife and I are to Germany in late summer. She was a hs exchange student in Essen as a senior so we have many friends we are anxious to visit. One of the friends is in central Germany, the Gottingen area, ballpark. And then to Berlin, from there we’d take the trains to Munich and Freiburg, going from 2:00 to 5:30 to 7:30 if you get my drift. We have an affinity for Freiburg and will linger there.

I’ll say up front that renting a car is something we’d normally avoid. But it seems likely that the best way to navigate Essen Gottingen Berlin is by car. Thoughts?

I know there’s a dedicated travel thread but here goes.

Happy New Year to all. Here’s to love and adventure!

Not to add madness to your trip, but if you broke up your rental, you might be able to take in Prague, and Wroclaw (no I can't pronounce Wroclaw (Vrat-swaaf (?)), Poland. Perhaps things have changed due to the European Union, but I don't think you can take your rental into another country. If you took a train from either Frankfurt or Dresden, you could get to Prague pretty easy. The core of Prague is pretty easy to see by foot if you don't mind walking a bit. In the late 90's, you had to almost push cab drivers away. They were aggressive when seeking passengers at train stations. If interested in Pilsner beer, or Bohemian heritage, that is pretty much ground zero. Pretty easy to get around the core of the city, because many spoke "Tarzan English" at minimum. BTW IIRC Pilsen is much closer to Germany than Prague. I have no idea whether or not there is anything else to see there besides the brewery (?).

Didn't see much of Wroclaw (mostly Wroclaw Glowny train station) due to poor planning. Missed a train due to communication barriers. I didn't then and still don't know any Polish. That mishap took away from touring. Krakow and Warsaw are most likely too far away as is Gdansk.

Charles Bridge Prague

Astronomy Clock

Prague Castle

Too much countryside. Too little time.

 

[STPGopherfan]

Do it. One of the great driving pleasures in the world is the German autobahn; so straight, intuitive, and well maintained. You won’t have any issues with signs or laws - it’s mostly the same as the U.S. in terms of shapes and meaning (maybe learn the word ‘stau’ - means traffic congestion). I will say when you come to a four way stop at the same time as others, always defer to the driver on your right. And don’t let the high speeds intimidate you - there are speed limits and if you’re nervous stay right. If you see a Bimmer flashing his lights behind you it means ‘move!’.

That said, the strassenbahn (street cars), traditional trains, and taxis are all top notch and equally viable. But, I’d take the car for maximum comfort/flexibility. Let me know if you have any other questions about driving or Germany in general - lived in Heidelberg and Mannheim for four years….

Prost!

 

[kgilbert78]

One other comment--trains from Munich to Freiburg aren't very direct. You have to go via Karlsruhe, partly due to having to go thru the Black Forest.

 

[nittanymoops]

Not to add madness to your trip, but if you broke up your rental, you might be able to take in Prague, and Wroclaw (no I can't pronounce Wroclaw (Vrat-swaaf (?)), Poland. Perhaps things have changed due to the European Union, but I don't think you can take your rental into another country. If you took a train from either Frankfurt or Dresden, you could get to Prague pretty easy. The core of Prague is pretty easy to see by foot if you don't mind walking a bit. In the late 90's, you had to almost push cab drivers away. They were aggressive when seeking passengers at train stations. If interested in Pilsner beer, or Bohemian heritage, that is pretty much ground zero. Pretty easy to get around the core of the city, because many spoke "Tarzan English" at minimum. BTW IIRC Pilsen is much closer to Germany than Prague. I have no idea whether or not there is anything else to see there besides the brewery (?).

Didn't see much of Wroclaw (mostly Wroclaw Glowny train station) due to poor planning. Missed a train due to communication barriers. I didn't then and still don't know any Polish. That mishap took away from touring. Krakow and Warsaw are most likely too far away as is Gdansk.

Charles Bridge Prague

Astronomy Clock

Prague Castle

Too much countryside. Too little time.

Our Gopher friend is correct in pointing out some auto rental points, specifically taking it to other countries. Back in 2018, I rented in Nice (France), and during my reading of the T&C, noticed that the countries formerly behind the Iron Curtain were off limits. When I rented back in September-October, I asked about driving into Poland and Czechia from Germany, there was a daily fee of about 7-10 euros IIRC.

As far as city driving, Berlin and Munich were fine. The Paris traffic was nightmarish in early June. There was also a strike that was off and on. That's why I tried to drive from Marne-la-Vallee to Versailles, thinking no big deal, and if it's closed due to strikers we could do something else. Well...we got on the road and the ring road was jammed, so our GPS got us off that. Anyway, our GPS said it was about 90 minutes with traffic when we left. And when we had driven for 90 minutes, we still had 90 minutes to go.

The trip a couple months ago, we took the train from Munich to Venice and then Venice to Rome. I would not have even tried to drive in Rome. Absolute insanity.

 

[STPGopherfan]

Question for the board. Is it still better just to purchase train tickets while in Europe then to buy a Eurail pass ahead of time?

I gambled and just bought tickets over there because I really didn't have a rigid itinerary. Just arrival to and departure from Europe. The only things I booked ahead were a room for the first night I arrived in Europe, and the Rental car for Germany.

Eurail Pass

 

[WVilleLion23]

Will be driving in Germany and Austria this summer.

 

[IrishHerb]

Do it. If you have an iphone, get the maps.me app. you can download the maps for use without any access to data. navigation is done through GPS (not data). Driving in Germany is a breeze, just play it safe and stay in the left lane on the autobahn (unless you're feeling frisky). It's super intuitive.

Left lane? I thought the left was the one with unlimited speed.

 

[TiogaLion]

I was in Ireland this past spring and here's my rental car story. First, my Chase Visa now covers Ireland. I thought they'd (the rental car company) give me trouble so I had them email me a letter stating that Ireland is now covered. The statement went something like; Chase Visa now covers auto rental insurance in every country including the previously excluded countries of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Israel, and Jamaica. Further, I had them send me exact instructions on filing a claim including what I needed to do and the rental car company needed to do with the exact coverages stated.

Being a left-side drive country, I was thinking of getting an automatic but the automatics were well over $140/day while the small (you want a small car) standard transmissions were less than $20/day. I booked the standard and per the typical they offered me the upgrade for a small fee, which I rejected, so they gave me the upgrade to an automatic for no additional charges.

My iphone maps app worked great. I have AT&T and their international day pass is $10/day for the first line and $5/day for each additional line and provides unlimited text/talk/data. AT&T only charges when you are outside the US, however one time I was in upstate New York and they thought I was in Canada.

 

[kgilbert78]

Betcha Israel is no longer covered....